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The sequel to Jennifer Worth's New York Times bestselling memoir and the basis for the PBS series Call the Midwife

When twenty-two-year-old Jennifer Worth, from a comfortable middle-class upbringing, went to work as a midwife in the direst section of postwar London, she not only delivered hundreds of babies and touched many lives, she also became the neighborhood's most vivid chronicler. Woven into the ongoing tales of her life in the East End are the true stories of the people Worth met who grew up in the dreaded workhouse, a Dickensian institution that limped on into the middle of the twentieth century.

Orphaned brother and sister Peggy and Frank lived in the workhouse until Frank got free and returned to rescue his sister. Bubbly Jane's spirit was broken by the cruelty of the workhouse master until she found kindness and romance years later at Nonnatus House. Mr. Collett, a Boer War veteran, lost his family in the two world wars and died in the workhouse.

Though these are stories of unimaginable hardship, what shines through each is the resilience of the human spirit and the strength, courage, and humor of people determined to build a future for themselves against the odds. This is an enduring work of literary nonfiction, at once a warmhearted coming-of-age story and a startling look at people's lives in the poorest section of postwar London.

About The Author

Jennifer Worth trained as a nurse at the Royal Berk-shire Hospital in Reading, and was later ward sister at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in London, then the Marie Curie Hospital, also in London. Music had always been her passion, and in 1973 she left nursing in order to study music intensively, teaching piano and singing for...

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Reviews

Rated 3 out of
5 by
QuietDay from
Interesting view of a harder timeI love the Call the Midwife series on the BBC. This is the first book I've read. The workhouse stories were hard to bear, especially the treatment of Jane as a child. So much inhumanity. But Worth's journals as a nurse are always interesting to me. We can't imagine life in the workhouse, how awful that must have been, how families were driven apart by poverty and unfortunate circumstances. At least later in life, there were sparks of happiness for these 3 figures.

Date published: 2017-04-12

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Mimi_Weidl from
not as good as the firstNot as good as the first book, but good nonetheless

Date published: 2017-03-29

Rated 4 out of
5 by
DanA from
Great!Fantastic! The first one was better in terms of general content - this one focused largely on 4 anecdotes - but still very enjoyable and historically relevant. The editor(s) could certainly have done a better job (missing punctuation, a few other noticeable errors, etc). I read this in under 3 days despite being flu-ish and recovering from exhausting travel. If you're debating picking up this book, it's worth the read.

Date published: 2017-03-06

Rated 3 out of
5 by
amyslibrary4000books from
Not really about midwifery or nursing but very informativeI enjoyed Call the Midwife a lot more than this one, but this one was extremely informative. It truly is all about the history of workhouse and its abominable conditions. I'm a mood reader so I think I would have liked it more if I hadn't thought it was second in a series about the midwives. It is, yet it isn't. There are no babies being born in this one. There is very little nursing either. There are many chapters devoted to Sister Monica Joan (is she senile or isn't she?). The last story, the one about Joe Collett (whom Jenny Lee befriends in the show) is very moving. The story about Frank and Peggy, while interesting, dragged on too long and took up the first third of the book. I'm looking forward to reading Farewell to the East End but this time realize that I should probably read the back cover before diving in!

Date published: 2017-01-12

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Janet Vella Brincat from
EntertainingAs a nurse myself I fully enjoyed reading this authors books. They are both informative and entertaining with an element of humour.

Date published: 2015-09-09

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Lorraine from
Call the Midwife Shadows of the WorkhouseA poignant look at another aspect of life in Poplar.Beautifully written with the compassion of Nurse Lee.

Date published: 2015-08-07

Rated 5 out of
5 by
MK from
Historical JewelJennifer Worth has a gift for story telling , I love the way she brings other people's experiences into historical context and allows the reader to follow up on the characters she presents. The crude reality of the workhouse, brothels and the slums of 1950's Docklands, are smoothed over by the amazing people she describes and the love of life that shines from her stories.

Date published: 2015-06-05

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Delie from
Call the Midwife 2Absolutely loved this book actually the whole series!!! You've got to watch it on Netflix!!

Date published: 2014-06-13

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Joy from
Good historical dramaTook me to a place in history that I did not know about. Great description and story telling.

Date published: 2014-04-09

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Laura from
Call the Midwife - book 2014I've enjoyed watching this book series come to life on Netflix. It is often profound & heartbreaking what the human spirit will endure & God bless the good Sisters at Nonnatus House for so gently & lovingly dedicating themselves to the poor. If these books don't leave you marveling at our recent history, there's something wrong with you. This series is well worth reading!